Jane Lynch Will Raise ‘The Three Stooges’

Years of false starts and stalled attempts are about to come to an end for the Farrelly brothers’ long-in-the-making film version of The Three Stooges. For better or for worse, the filmmaking siblings have settled on actors to play the knuckled-brained trio, and are prepped to begin production on the project next month.

The casting process for Three Stooges isn’t done just yet, though; Emmy-winner Jane Lynch (Glee) is now onboard to play Mother Superior, the head of an orphanage where the Stooges… er, grow up.

For those who are late to the game: The Three Stooges movie will consist of three half-hour (or so) segments, in the vein of the original Stooges’ shorts. Each section of the film will revolve around the trio at different periods in their lives, starting out with childhood at the orphanage, early adulthood, and later adulthood. Chris Diamantopoulos, Sean Hayes, and Will Sasso will star as the “grown-up” versions of the Stooges Moe, Larry, and Curly, respectively.

Deadline has the scoop on Lynch being cast as Mother Superior, a part that the Farrellys were reportedly originally eying Cher for. In my experience, Lynch makes for a better comedic talent onscreen and she seems to really excel at making funny glorified cameos in films (see: The 40 Year Old Virgin), so this bit of casting is fine by me.

Unlike just about every other Farrelly movie made, Three Stooges won’t push the boundaries of good taste or be overflowing with bathroom-related gags and humor. The film will instead use the original Stooges’ brand of cartoonish physical comedy (lots of slaps and eye-pokes) as a means of getting laughs. But will that approach to humor fly so well with modern moviegoers – or, rather, are Diamantopoulos, Hayes, and Sasso up to the task of making it work (Tim Gunn reference not intended)?

While I can’t say I’m personally excited to see the Farrellys’ take on Three Stooges, the project doesn’t per se look like a disaster just waiting to happen. The three main actors may not be exactly the Dream Team of stars that could’ve been cast as the Stooges, but each is still a decent comic talent in his own right. It could also be a nice change of pace to see the Farrellys take a break from the R-Rated gross-out jokes – especially since their skills in that department has grown increasingly rusty over the years.

We don’t need a new movie version of The Three Stooges, of course, but that’s exactly what we’re getting. Do you think the film has potential?